1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling a plurality of vehicle safety devices.
2. Prior Art
Air bag systems and preloader systems are representative examples of various vehicle safety systems/devices that have been developed to protect passengers from the shock of vehicle collisions. However, an effective way of ensuring the safety of passengers involved in a vehicle collision is to use two types of safety system. For example, an arrangement that is known is to equip the driver's seat with an air bag system and a preloader system, and when it is sensed that a collision has occurred, first the preloader system is activated and this is followed by the activation of the air bag system, thereby providing the driver with increased safety assurance.
This type of conventional arrangement has drawbacks, however. An air bag system is set to operate after a certain delay that is based on the assumption that the passenger is restrained by a seatbelt. Therefore, if for example the preloader system should malfunction and fail to operate in a collision, the passenger, especially the passenger's head, will be moved a considerable way forward before the air bag has inflated sufficiently, and it is even possible that the operation of the air bag system cannot ensure the passenger's safety.